I am taking a vacation to work in the garden

Yes you heard it right. I am taking a few days vacation and I am dedicating it to my garden. I am lucky that my employer gives me a month vacation every year with one condition... I have to spread the days through out the year.
I am taking off next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Over the next five days I am taking on several projects in the garden. My list is long and very ambitious. I know I won’t finish it, but for a weekend gardener like me, this is the only time I can take on big projects. The weatherman is predicting rain this weekend (but what does he know!!!)

Here is my to do list.

I want to do another flowerbed in this location in the front garden. This will give me a separation from my neighbor’s house. This flowerbed was supposed to be part of my last big project but I ran out time.

I need to get my tomato bed ready for planting. It is too hot to plant tomatoes now; we need the cooler weather of late October/early November but I want to be ready.

The coleus were looking great a couple of weeks ago before all the hurricanes passed by the neighborhood. I want to add new coleus' and I am thinking of adding some high grasses in the background.

This corner needs some work, I am not sure yet what I want to do here.

The birdbath in the center of the grass does not look good. I am adding a small flowerbed to make it look more interesting and I promise I will clean it up.

This water feature broke last week for the second time and I need to fix it.

Fall cleanup in the front garden

This morning I decided it was time to prepare the front garden for the coming winter.

This honeysuckle looks like it was a mistake for this location. I might regret it later because it is growing very fast and overpowering its corner of the garden.

Ground orchids, on the pathway to the front door.

The powderpuff tree looks recovered after I performed surgery last week when it suffered a branch tear from Hurricane Ike's winds.

Other pictures of the front garden.

In this picture you see my FIU Golden Panthers football flag. Florida International University is my college alma mater. My wife and youngest daughter are both alumni as well. This afternoon, the entire family will attend the football game against the University of South Florida, exciting because it will be our first home game this season and the inaugural game in our brand new on-campus stadium. “Go Panthers!”

The bougainvillea plant has been a disappointment this year with very few flowers and mostly green. This year I am planning on removing the front wooden gate and installing an iron gate. That just may be the end of my red bougainvillea plant!

GBBD September 15

Tacca Integrifolia

This week my tacca bloomed for the first time ever. Isn’t she the most fantastic looking flower? I am in total awe of this plant.

I have many ground orchids flowering in my front garden.

Fall is time for my bromeliads to bloom these beautiful red flowers.

My purple allamanda is doing well.

The pink and purple Ruellias are blooming all over the garden

The chenille plant looks great.

Damage from IKE

This evening I found a major branch from my powderpuff tree broken off by the wind gusts of hurricane IKE. We had wind gust all day of 30 to 40 miles per hour.

I hope I don’t loose the tree; the cut is major and too close to the base of the tree.

Any idea how I should treat this break?

Keeping an eye on IKE

Not much gardening at the DragonFly this weekend, we are keeping our eyes on hurricane IKE out in the Bahamas. Looking out for hurricanes is our favorite fall past time, second only to football.
This afternoon things are looking better for us in South Florida, but I don’t trust these storms specially when they are so close to us.